


Love You Today

by BonneyQ



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-04
Updated: 2014-02-04
Packaged: 2018-01-11 03:21:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,428
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1168054
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BonneyQ/pseuds/BonneyQ





	Love You Today

Gray was waiting outside a very colorful building, his arms folded above his chest while the other people, mostly women, talked to each other. He never had much patience for such formalities, really. Juvia was the one who would make the pleasantries with others; Gray was the sulky one.  
  
A bell rang and the man sighed in relief. It was finally time.  
  
A minute or so passed when the children started to come out of the school building. Gray knew that he would be easy to spot between all the mothers, but he kept his eyes opened for his own child anyways.  
  
Spotting Urim wasn’t hard; he was tall for a boy his age and the dark blue hair made it even easier to recognize his son. Gray smiled when the boy found him and started to run towards his father.  
  
“Dad!”  
  
“Hey, little man.” Gray scooped his son off the ground as the boy laughed. “How was school today?”  
  
“It was fine.” Urim shrugged. “But it passed so slowly!” The boy complained. “I wanted to learn magic from you, Dad!”  
  
Gray’s expression fell a bit when he looked to his seven-year-old son, a pain on his chest; a cruel reminder of what the day marked for both of them.  
  
“We won’t be training today, Uri. Remember what we talked about yesterday?” Gray said carefully to the boy. “Today we are going to visit your mother.”  
  
“Oh…” The boy’s dark eyes, just like his father’s, fell to the ground. “Sorry, dad. I forgot.”  
  
“It’s okay, buddy.” Gray let his forehead touch his son’s. “It’s alright to forget the day, but don’t forget her, okay?” The little boy nodded and hugged his father and Gray started to walk towards their house. Usually Urim would walk, but it was a special day.  
  
It had been a year since they lost the most import woman of their lives.

#

9 years ago

_Gray complained about having to carry her through the door from their new apartment, but did it anyway just to see the smile on her face._

_“It’s for luck, Gray-sama!” Juvia said, pouting a little while he rolled his eyes at it. “Juvia wants to do everything right!”_

_So, he did it._

_They were married for over a week now, just returning from their honeymoon. They went to an exotic island south of Fiore, a gift from all of their friends from the guild. It was supposed to be a beautiful place, but the truth was that neither him nor his wife (it was still so weird for him to think of Juvia as his wife) did see much of the island. The newlyweds had locked themselves on the small cabin and only went out a few times._

_When they were inside their new apartment and Gray put Juvia down, she had smiled brightly and hugged him. “Juvia cannot believe that we are married, Gray-sama.”_

_“I can.” Gray scoffed. “We had a very big party at the guild, you wore white, I was magically incapable of taking my tux off because of runes and then we went to an island and consummate our marriage so many times that no one can ever think of annul it.”_

_Juvia’s face turned bright red, stepping away from him and Gray laughed. After being together for five years and known each other for seven, it became normal to him her innuendos, so much that he would make her blush a few times (mostly when no one could hear him)._

_“Gray-sama!” Juvia slapped him on the chest lightly, but giggled anyways. As it turned out, once they slept together for the first time and they discovered the wonders of sex together a few years back, Gray was as enthusiastically towards their ‘together time’ as she was._

_“So… Mrs. Fullbuster.” Juvia looked up to him, gleeful that he was using her new title and name; she couldn’t begin to explain of how nice it felt to be called like that. “You do know that we will be doing it in every room of this apartment, right?”_

_She shrieked when Gray reached for her, but she easily changed her body into water and he couldn’t grab her. The woman then started to run, giggling all the way while Gray grinned and started following her towards the master bedroom._

#

Once they arrived home, Gray put Urim on the ground. The boy had been shedding a few tears, but when he saw that his dad was looking at him, he quickly dried them.

“Hey…” Gray said softly. “It’s okay to cry, Uri.”

“Boys don’t cry.” The boy said serious.

“They do.” The older man grabbed his son’s backpack. “I cry sometimes. You can cry when you are sad, little man.” Gray messed Urim’s hair. “Now, go wash your hands while I prepare you a sandwich for you.”

“Okay, Daddy.” The boy started walking towards the room as his father watched. It has been hard since Juvia passed away, especially to their son. He was only six when it happened and it was unfair for him to lose his mother so early in life and unfortunately Gray could relate, having lose both of his parents when he was seven.

He was afraid of it affecting Urim so much that the boy would turn out like him: closed up to feelings. But as soon as the thought would come to his mind, he dismissed it. Most of all, Uri was Juvia’s son and he was yet to meet a woman, a person, that could feel as much as his late wife did.

Touching his necklace, Gray sighed; his wedding bang was there, the cross gone for almost a decade now. He smiled sadly recalling why he had got ridden of his pendant anyways.

#

9 Years Ago

_“Gray-sama feels uncomfortable with the ring, don’t you?” Juvia asked. They have been married for almost two months then. She was patterning his guild mark on his chest with her finger. Both were still in a post-coital haze, a thin sheet covering their body; her leg over his hips and head resting on his arm._

_“What? No.” Gray scoffed and stopped left hand from twisting the said ring. The truth was that it was still odd for him to wear a ring. And during one or two (fifteen) of his random stripping, Gray would also toss his new ring aside and would end up on his knees looking for it._

_But he would get used to it! He got used to his necklace, hadn’t he?_

_“Yes, you do.” Juvia giggled and he sighed; she knew him too well. “Juvia noticed it that it’s hard for you to have it on while stripping.”_

_“You know that I did get better with it.” Gray mumbled. It was true. Since when he started dating Juvia, he had become more controlled with the stripping thing, only doing during time of duress._

_“True.” She sighed in contentment because of their proximity. “But it doesn’t mean that you don’t do it anymore. And Juvia knows that the ring goes with the clothes…”_

_“Oh, so you know about that…” Gray grimaced. He hated to make her think that he didn’t care about their marriage and the ring… they had chosen together exactly so it would be special. “I swear that it’s automatic.”_

_“I know, Gray-sama.” Juvia said, still with the –sama suffix even after all that time. Gray started to see it as some kind of pet name for him. “Juvia has an idea.” The water mage sat up on the bed sheets covering her body (even though it was hardly necessary). “Give me your ring hand, Gray-sama.” Her husband frowned but offered her his left hand. Juvia managed to take his ring off and Gray was about to protest, when she startled him by straddling him, so she was on top of his body._

_“Raise your head a bit, Gray-sama.” Juvia said with a cheshire smile and Gray obeyed, truly curious about what she was going to do. She removed his necklace by unclasping it. She sat, then, on his hip while he eyed her. She put the ring on his necklace, so it was beside the cross. “With thee I remarry you.” Juvia giggled as showed the ring to him. “There we go, Gray-sama. Now you won’t lose it.” The woman said with a smile._

_“But…” He was confused. “It’s supposed to be on my finger…”_

_“You don’t need a ring on your finger to remind you that you are married, do you?” Juvia asked kindly. “Even though it would make most –sadly not all– of the willing girls that wants to flirt with my husband go away, Juvia knows that this is just a formality. In your heart you know that you are mine.” She shrugged. “Besides, it did cost a lot and losing it would be a shame.”_

_“Take the cross off.” Gray said, sitting down, so his face was a few centimeters away from hers. “It doesn’t have value. Besides, I just want my ring with me all the time.”_

_Without breaking eye contact, the blue haired woman took the cross off the necklace and clasped it back on Gray’s neck. “I’ll never take it off, Juvia.”_

_“Good.” She kissed him_

#

“And then, Daddy,” Urim was telling his father about his days while eating his sandwich. “I did it! I made the fountain turn into ice! Just like you!”

Gray laughed. “Well, no wonder you got that note on your backpack today, huh? What did I tell you about magic at school?”

“To keep to the minimum.” The boy mumbled. “But it wasn’t my fault! It was inv… ivol…”

“Involuntary?” The older man helped his son.

“Yes!” Urim nodded. “It just happened.”

“I understand, son.” Gray said. “It happens with mages like us when we are little. I am training you so you can control it, alright?” Urim nodded and finished his sandwich. “Tomorrow after you finish your homework, as always.”

“I don’t know why I have to go to school if I am going to be a mage like you and mom.” The younger boy said with a disgusted face. He liked his classmates just fine, but it was so much more interesting to learn ice magic from his father than to leant verbs and math.

“Because it doesn’t hurt to get smarter.” Gray offered. He and Juvia had decided that whatever children they might have would go to school as long as they could. Usually children from mages were homeschooled but neither he nor Juvia wanted it; they wanted a proper education for their child, because as far as they knew, the kid could want to stay away from the magic world.

“Your mother and I decided to let you go to school until you were properly trained or wanted to stay on it.”

“I don’t want to stay on it!” Urim said hopefully.

“Good try but your training is far from over, kiddo. You’ll have to put up with school for a little while.” Gray laughed and started to clean the table. “Now, go take a shower so we can go see your mother, alright?”

The boy nodded and went on the direction of his room to fetch his towel. Gray put the plate, now sandwich free, on the sink and took a deep breath, trying to control his emotions.

#

7 years ago

_“Here’s your baby, Mrs Fullbuster.” A nurse came in with a blue bundle and even though Gray was there when the baby was born, the feeling of finally be able to look at his son properly…_

_Juvia reached for the baby and when the nurse put him on her arms, she started crying. Tears of joy, obviously, and Gray never saw a more beautiful scene in his life._

_“He’s so perfect, Gray.” She said and the Ice Mage was happy that she chose that moment to leave the suffix out; it made it all more intimate. “Look at his tiny fingers…”_

_“Yes.” Gray was sitting on her side on the hospital bed, an arm around his wife, and his eyes on his son. His son! He was a father. “He is perfect, Juvia.” He kissed the top of her head and she looked up to him, kissing him on the lips._

_“He looks like you.” She said returning her gaze towards their newborn._

_“His hair is blue, not black.” Gray pointed out._

_“It’ll darken.” She smiled softly to the baby. “He’ll be a miniature of you.” Gray chuckled at this. “Two _Grays in Juvia’s life? Can she handle?” The Water Mage teased her husband.__

__“You better.” He chuckled._ _

__“Now it’s your turn…” Juvia turned her body so she could give Gray the child. He removed his arm from behind Juvia and retracts in fear._ _

__“I don’t think it’s a good idea…” He said, even though he really wanted to hold his son. He had no idea how! He could drop him! He could hold him the wrong way and break something… babies were frail!_ _

__“Nonsense.” Juvia rolled her eyes and gave the baby to him and Gray tried to remember everything Juvia taught him about holding babies: to hold their heads in the right way and all…_ _

__When he had his son was in his arms, all worries left him as he looked to that small being, that small human being that was half him and half Juvia. He was so beautiful, so perfect… Gray never thought he would help make something so perfect in his life._ _

__“Can we name him… Urim?” Gray asked his wife quietly. “In honor of Ur and my dad: James. Everyone called him Jim... I know it can be odd, but…”_ _

__“No... It is perfect.” Juvia smiled._ _

__“Hi, Urim.” Gray whispered to his son. “Welcome to the family, kid.” Gray smiled and only then he realized that he let out a few tears flow. It didn’t matter. That moment was perfect._ _

#

Gray grabbed the ring that was on his necklace once again as he relived the sentiments he had that day and quickly dried the tear that was threatening to fall. He had to be strong for Urim that day.

“Daaaaaaaad!” He heard his son call from his room.

“Yes?” Gray answered and went towards the boy’s voice.

“I need to choose clothes.” The boy was frustrated, Gray could tell by his tone. “I want to look the best for mom.”

Before stepping inside his son’s room, Gray took a deep breath and swallowed the lump on his throat. The innocence of his child was almost unbearable.

“Choose what you like the best, Uri.” The Ice Mage stepped inside the room and smiled to his son. “You know that your mother would like whatever you chose.”

“Okay, then.” The boy nodded and proceeded to choose his clothes while Gray watched.

#

5 Years Ago

_Juvia was chasing the toddler around the beach pretending to be a sea monster, apparently. Gray laughed when she used her magic to surround Urim with a thin layer of water while the boy giggled, not feeling trapped at all._

_“’Elp, Daddy!” The kid yelled, laughing, and passing thought the water barrier his mother set around him. He quickly ran to stand behind his father. “Elp Uri!”_

_“Don’t worry, kiddo!” Gray kneeled in front of his son. “I have a special weapon to deal with your mo… I mean… the sea monster.”_

_Gray got up and grabbed Juvia by the waist, while she shrieked in delight, but still in the ‘sea monster’ part. “Oh, no. You got me. Mercy.” She giggled._

_“No mercy!” Gray said in his best theatrical voice. Urim put his hands over his mouth as he giggled._

_“Save me, Uri!” Juvia begged, laughing when her husband started to kiss her neck._

_“But Mommy sea monster?” The boy tilted his head to the side in confusion. Why was his mommy asking for his help? His Daddy was now the sea monster?_

_“Gray-sama! You bit me!” Juvia put a hand on her neck and looked to the smug face of her husband._

_“You liked it.” Gray kissed her neck once again._

_“Not in front of Uri, Gray-sama.” Juvia’s face was red._

_Urim was by their parents’ side in a moment, he tried to separate them as best as he could. “Let go of mommy, daddy! No biting!”_

_Gray laughed and let Juvia go after whispering something to her, which earned a small slap on his upper arm._

#

After being properly dressed, Urim and his father started to walk towards the Magnolia Cemetery. The boy squeezed his father’s hands tightly once they could see the place and Gray couldn’t really blame him: the last time they were anywhere near it, it was to say their good-byes to Juvia.

Gray remembered that day as if it was happening right at that moment. His friends crying, his son not entirely understanding what was happening, but gathered enough to know that his mother wasn’t coming back home and the fact that he didn’t cry.

He did it, of course much later when Uri was tucked in. But during the funeral, Gray felt so numb that he couldn’t find in himself the will to cry. He held his crying son during the whole ceremony, as if the boy was his lifeline and in a way, he was.

The Ice Mage squeezed the little boy’s hand in reassurance. “We are just going to talk, Uri.”

“I know.” The boy nodded. “I just don’t like this place.”

“Me neither, kiddo.” Gray sighed and both Fullbuster boys resumed their walking.

#

8 Years Ago

_“So… Gray-sama…” She was nervous, he could tell. “Juvia needs to talk to you.”_

_“Okay.” Gray frowned and continued to take off his shirt, preparing himself to sleep. He was confused at why Juvia was so nervous about. Things had been great between them, mostly._

_“It’s big news.” She was pushing the subject and he noticed._

_“Just say it, Juvia.” He rolled his eyes._

_“I’mpregnantandIwantedtoletyouknow.” She said so fast the Gray couldn’t understand a thing._

_“Sorry, what?” Gray asked laughing to his wife as he stepped closer to her. “Slower this time, huh?”_

_“I. Am. Pregnant.” She said as if each word was a phrase and slowly enough for him to understand. And the shock on his face was priceless and it really showed that he understood what she had just told him._

_He opened and closed his mouth like a fish for almost a full minute before finally saying something. “H-How?” Juvia offered him a pointed look._

_“We haven’t actually been careful, have we?”_

_Gray looked down to her stomach, as if he expected it to be big all of a sudden, but instead it was as it always was. Was it really a baby in there? Their baby?_

_“Juvia knows that this is a little unexpected, but…” The Water Mage was in the middle of the sentence when Gray grabbed her by the waist and spun her around their bedroom, laughing out loud. She certainly didn’t expect that reaction from him._

_“This is great, Juvia. Really great!” Gray said excited and then stopped, putting her down with delicacy and eyes filled with worry. “Di…Did I hurt you? Or the baby? I don’t…”_

_Juvia giggled and kissed his lips lightly. “No, you didn’t. It’s completely fine.” She smiled. “Does it mean you’re happy?”_

_“Very. I am very happy, Juvia.” He smiled again and hugged her (not too tightly: he didn’t want to hurt their baby)._

#

Once they were inside the cemetery and walking a bit, Gray noticed someone in front of his wife’s grave and sighed when he saw that it was Gajeel.

Seeing his third favorite person in the world there, Urim let go of his father’s hand and went to his ‘Uncle.’ Gajeel had time to turn around and catch the boy.

“Do you think you can startle me, Snowflake?” Gajeel said tickling the boy, who was shrieking in delight.

“Do not call him Snowflake, Gajeel.” Gray said with a resigned sigh. “It’s Urim.”

“Whatever.” The Dragon Slayer chuckled and put the boy on the floor. “You came to say ‘hi’ to your ma?” The boy nodded.

“I even got her a flower.” Urim showed the sunflower he had in one of his hands. “Sunflowers were her favorites, right, Dad?”

“They were.” Gray nodded. “Now, go pay your respects. Gajeel and I will be right over there, okay?”

“Wh…What should I tell her?” Urim asked, confused.

“Everything you want.” Gray kissed the top of his son’s head. “You know your mom would like to hear all you’ve been up to.”

“Can I tell her about training?” The boy asked.

“Go ahead.” Gray smiled and nodded to Gajeel so they could give the younger Fullbuster a little space. Once they were away enough, the adults started a conversation. “The others?”

“Came earlier.” Gajeel said, knowing that Gray was referring to their guild mates. “They knew you would take Uri after his school, and decided not to overwhelm you by ambushing you.”

“I see.” Gray appreciated the thought. It was nice to know that his friends had his back, but that specific day was only his and Uri’s to share. And Gajeel’s apparently. “Why didn’t you come earlier with them?”

“I needed my moment alone with her as much as you need yours.” Gajeel shrugged. “I wasn’t even gonna come, but ended up here anyways.”

The Ice Mage nodded in understanding. “Oh…”

They were in silence for a moment. “How’s Levy? And the twins?”

“Good.” The Dragon Slayers grinned. “Two little evil things.” He said proud.

“Poor Levy.” Gray chuckled, imagining the two little boys that even though looked more like their mother than their father physically (only inheriting Gajeel’s red eyes), they were two little monsters, pretty much like the Dragon Slayer.

“Nah… she likes it.” Gajeel shrugged. Another moment of silence. “She’d want you to find someone else, you know?”

“No, she wouldn’t.” Gray chuckled. “She was too jealous for that.”

“She would want you to be happy, Gray.” Gajeel said seriously. “You know that.”

“I know.” The Ice Mage sighed. “I just don’t think that I can find someone else. It was too intense with her… I can’t replace her.”

The Dragon Slayer nodded in understanding. God knows that if he lost Levy he would never find someone else. “I understand.” He said. “But keep the kid in mind; doesn’t he need a mother?”

“He has one.” Gray said. “I’ll tell him everything there’s to know about her to him.”

“Fine, fine.” Gajeel raised his hands in defeat; that was topic for another day. “Urim.” The taller man called the boy, who was up until that moment speaking rather enthusiastically to the white headstone. “Come stay with me. Your dad wants to give your mom a few words too.”

Gray sent a grateful look towards Gajeel and started to walk towards his wife’s grave, and once he was close enough to hear his son, Urim said: “I miss you, Mommy. Love you, bye.”

He passed his father and went to stay by his uncle’s side, not knowing that his words made a lump appear on his father’s throat. Gray looked down to the marble stone that had engraved ‘Juvia Fullbuster’ and her birth day and her demise’s.

“Hey.” He said and cleared his throat. “A year, huh?” Gray stayed in silence, not entirely sure of what to tell her, so he chose the truth; he would always tell her the truth, no matter what. “I am angry, Juvia. Urim asks about you, acts like you sometimes and it just makes me so… angry.” Gray sighed. “Not at him, of course. He is…” He swallowed the lump on his throat. “He is what keeps me going, but I am angry because I recall of the moments we had together that will never repeat. I talk about you to him, even if it hurts to do it; but I can’t just let him forget about you, so I keep telling him stories about you. And if I don’t talk about you, it hurts too because I feel like I am forgetting you.

“So you see the mess you left behind?” Gray said softly looking up to the sky. “I don’t go on missions anymore, afraid to leave Urim behind with someone and by some twisted plan of the universe I step in the wrong way and leave him fatherless. Even without the missions we are good with money… I mean… We don’t fill the bathtub with gold, but we are good. I teach a few kids about magic, and teach Uri too, of course. He wants to be a mage and it scares the crap out of me to let him be one; I think back about how many stupid and dangerous things we’ve done when we were young, how many times we cheated death and I get terrified of even training him.

“But he is our son, isn’t he?” Gray chuckled. “He would become a mage with or without my help, so I guess that if I train him… I don’t know… I feel safer. In a year or so I’ll take him to an easy mission and afterwards I may return to take a few missions myself.” Gray looked towards his son, who was talking excitedly with Gajeel. “I… I think he’ll be alright, Juvia. He’ll turn out to be alright. Of course he would’ve been better with you by his side, but he’ll be alright; I’ll make sure of it. You know how everyone at the guild loves him, so… Don’t worry.

He stayed in silence for a minute. “I know you can’t hear me, but I like to think that you do: for both of our sakes. Just…” He took a sharp breath to prevent tears from falling. “We had eleven years together, as a couple. It wasn’t always perfect, but it was us. I loved you and you loved me and it was enough. I wish we could’ve had eleven more years. Then eleven more, then eleven more… Unfortunately, life doesn’t go as we want. But so you know, if I never told you, those were the best years of my life.

“Oh, shit. Now I am crying…” Gray dried the tears that were falling. “Time to go before I embarrass myself. I did tell Urim earlier that men can cry, but it doesn’t mean that I want to. Just…” He stepped forward and then kneeled down in front of the white marble stone putting a hand over Juvia’s picture. “I miss you, I’ll always miss you.” He got up and started to walk away, before stopping and turn around. “Oh… It always…” He sighed and then smiled sadly. “I love you today, Juvia.”

Gray resumed his walking and went to meet with his son and Gajeel. Urim almost immediately started to tell excitedly about how Gajeel told him that his mom had fought a dragon. The Ice Mage scooped his son from the ground and gave him the tightest hug he could.

A piece of Juvia was still alive inside the boy and he would cherish it with all he had.

#

7 years Ago

_The baby kicked against Gray’s palm for the thirteenth time that night (yes, he was counting) and the muscles of the man’s face were paining him because of the big smile he was wearing. It was so magical to know that in a few weeks the kicking thing inside Juvia was going to be in his arms._

_“He doesn’t stop.” Juvia sighed. “He’s just like his daddy, isn’t he?”_

_“A little bit.” Gray chuckled and talked to her stomach. “Hey, kid. Stop kicking your mom. She wants to sleep tonight.” Another kick and Juvia let out a sound of impatience. Of course she loved to feel her baby kick, but not when she really needed to rest. The baby has been keeping her awake for the past three nights and she was exhausted._

_“Stubborn like his father…” The blue haired woman said with a smile even though she was tired._

_“Well, in a way or another Fullbuster will be keeping you up all night.” Gray teased her and she couldn’t help but laugh._

_“Yes, but the older Fullbuster would let me sleep.” Juvia put a hand over her stomach and caressed it, then intertwined her hand with Gray’s. “How about you show your mommy that you are half her and take a nap for her, baby?” She was talking softly. “Just for a few hours and then you can party again…”_

_No kick this time._

_“Great.” Her husband said. “Not even born yet and he is a momma’s boy.”_

_“He is his father’s son.” Juvia said cheekily and pulled him for a small peck on the lips. “I think we’ll make a very cute baby, Gray-sama.”_

_“Half you and half me? What could go wrong?” Gray teased and lied beside Juvia. She chuckled in response and they stayed a moment in silence. “The little one will be wrecking cities in no time, won’t he?”_

_“Of course he will.” Juvia chuckled and snuggled closer to her husband and soon was drifted to sleep._

#

Later that night after giving Urim his dinner and making the boy take a shower, Gray sat by the boy’s bed and told him his version of the fight with the dragons and how his mother was brave. The small Fullbuster had his eyes wide in adoration.

It didn’t take long for the boy to go to sleep and Gray took his time to analyze his son. It was just like as Juvia predicted: when he was a newborn his hair was light blue like hers, but as the years passed, the shade of it was closer to Gray’s than Juvia’s. Urim’s skin tone came from Juvia, which was certain. He also had her nose and lips, but everything else was Gray: his eyes, cheekbones, chin, height…

The older man kissed his son’s forehead and left the room.

He walked towards the master bedroom and as always, he hesitated to go in. So many memories, too much to bear, but he always chose to enter it.

It was where they would sleep every night they were not on missions, together. It was where they would fight about some girl who stared too long at him. It was where she told him that she was pregnant. It was where they would feel like they were inside their own world and nothing else mattered.

Gray sat on his side of the bed and lowered his head, finally allowing the tears to fall.

After a few minutes of silent crying, Gray stared at the photograph of him, Juvia and Urim that was on his nightstand. She was so beautiful, smiling like she was the luckiest woman on earth. And as usual, Gray smiled right back: it was like she was still there smiling for him.

It was sad, but it was what he had.

Before lying down on his bed, he took the picture frame and whispered softly. “I love you today, Juvia.” He put the frame back and then lied on his bed. Tomorrow was another day.

#

10 Years Ago

_It had been a few months since the three magical words had been traded between the young couple. Juvia had always loved him and he knew it, but when he told her and she replied that she also loved him? Oh, it was a whole new level of intimacy, of connection. Since then, Juvia made sure to tell him that she loved him every day. In one special day, they were both returning to Magnolia after a mission when she suddenly turned around to face him._

_“Did I tell you that I love you today?” Juvia asked with a broad smile._

_“No, I don’t think so.” Gray’s cheeks were pinkish. Even though they were together for some time now, he still felt like it was foreign for him to vocal his feeling._

_“I love you today.” She said simply and with a smirk._

_“Today?” Gray frowned. What was she…?_

_“Tomorrow is a completely different day, Gray-sama!” She giggled at her own silly joke and Gray couldn’t help but chuckle himself. Both were well aware that they loved each other, not for the day, but for a very long time. Either way, it was silly._

_She repeated the joke the day after, and the day after until it became almost like their ‘good-bye’ or their ‘good-nights.’_

_As silly as it was, it was theirs._


End file.
